August Rush

I saw a sneak preview tonight, not knowing anything about this film. If you still have an inner child, and an imagination that has not been beaten out of you by the "practical and mature" world, then you will love this movie. I wish I had taken my daughter. The only people that I have seen complain about this movie are people that probably consider playing music "hard work and self-sacrifice". If you don't play the cello, you are not going to notice how bad she fakes it. During certain scenes, I found myself sitting way back in my recliner, with my eyes closed, soaking up the sounds that inspired this young man. Not since "Strictly Ballroom" have I been so moved by a film.

I totally enjoyed this movie. The scenes have an appealing fantasy element, while at the same time, the plot manages to explore true-to-life human situations such as bullying of those who are different.

The music is incredible, and mostly consists of original scores. It includes gospel, rock and classical, seamlessly integrated in a new way that works extremely well.

The plot is somewhat predictable and possibly a little "sappy", but those elements are easily overcome by the moment-to-moment execution of the story. Think of a modernized "Oliver" with Robin Williams as Fagin to a group of homeless, musically talented kids...plus extra elements of romance and intrigue, and you will have a bit of an idea about this movie.

The three main characters are all physically "beautiful" people who manage to convey the story with a minimum of dialog. Additional characters, including Terrence Howard as the social worker, Jamia Simone Nash as the young girl in the church choir, and Leon G. Thomas as the young boy who befriends the musical prodigy, contribute strong performances and pizazz.

Someone sitting near me stated it is impossible for even a prodigy to learn music so quickly and at such a young age... However, this is not true. Check out Jay Greenberg, a young music student currently studying at Julliard. In the end, this movie is at least an endorsement and celebration of the significance of music in our lives and at most a transcendent, fun experience to watch.

I rarely like to see any movie more than once, but definitely want to see this again. Take the family…this is for children, teens and adults. Don't miss it is my recommendation!

I never comment on movies here, usually I just use this website to get an idea of what I am about to watch but I saw this movie last night and loved it.

This movie is a fairytale set in real life circumstances. I really like that the film was never advertised as an Oliver Twist take, but I loved all of the allusions to it. It was a very creative take on the classic story. The poor orphan boy who wants nothing more than to be loved.

My favorite aspect of the movie was how infused music actually was in the movie. I am a musician and I liked the touches that the filmmakers went into to make the film seem as credible as a fairytale can be. I also like how it brought together modern rock, classic symphonic music, and modern symphonic music. It didn't really glamorize the life's of everyday musicians. I like all of the extra little things that were thrown into the movie that only a musician would get. There were some errors but for the most part I applaud the film makers for the attention to the musical details.

Yes the movie was a bit bit corny, and a little over the top, but for the most part I loved it and suggested it to every one.

"August Rush" is the most magical story I've seen in years. It also has some of the biggest plot holes I've seen in years. But in the end I have to say the magic triumphs, and if you watch this movie you'll probably enjoy it IF you are aware of a few things up front.

First, this must be treated as a fairytale. That is, just as we accept that a big bad wolf can talk and a family of bears can cook porridge, we must make some large allowances for this film if we are to accept it.

I won't go into too much detail what these errors/allowances are (other IMDb members have already compiled quite a list in the goofs section), but if you are a musician, particularly a classically trained one, you'll need some serious suspension of disbelief. The story is predicated on the idea that a young boy is a musical prodigy. That's fine, but this kid is downright supernatural. If you can accept that he can see a guitar for the first time and immediately rock out like Stanley Jordan, then you're OK. If you can accept the notion that he leafs through a 1st grade music book for 10 seconds and immediately knows advanced musical theory (the equivalent of leafing through a basic arithmetic book and suddenly knowing calculus), then you're halfway there. And if you can accept that he has the power to change into a tuxedo faster than Clark Kent can put on his blue tights, then you're gold.

OK, enough cynicism. If you can get past all of that, then "August Rush" is really a wonderful and original story that will charm your pants off. Very loosely based on Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist", it's the story of an orphan in search of his parents. But this story revolves around the intangible power of music to draw people together. I've never heard of any story that makes such a powerful & moving metaphor for the power of music, and like I said up front, this powerful metaphor was enough for me to lose myself in the fantasy of it all. I probably would've fallen into it more readily if someone had told me to expect a fantasy. But instead I was halfway expecting realism, making much of the movie hard to swallow. Well now you've been warned, so go into it expecting a dreamlike fairytale and just let yourself be swept away by the magic.

A word of admiration for the late, great Robin Williams who plays a very complicated role here: a man who is basically a good guy but prone to inexcusable bouts of selfishness and violence. Not a particularly charming character but a memorable one, played with great skill.

This is an urban fairy tale. If you go to AUGUST RUSH with the intention of poking holes in it, you can find little glitches and logic flaws. On the other hand, if you are looking for a movie that will sing to your soul (and show you some beautiful eye candy as a bonus), look no farther. The casting director and cinematographer should each get an award. This gem of a movie takes us on a journey, and the people we meet along the way are well worth the ticket price.

A trio of beautiful performances form the heart of this film, although the secondary characters are also crisply compelling. A day after seeing it, I find that specific shots of their faces still glow in mind like pieces of a mosaic. And the music is a genuine addition, as it should be in a film of this kind. I was genuinely moved.